As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 3, 2000.

                                                                                         Registration No. 333-_____
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                              Washington, D.C. 20549

                                                     FORM S-8

                                              REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                                       UNDER
                                            THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                                INCYTE GENOMICS, INC.
                                        ------------------------------------
                              (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                                 Delaware                                                           94-3136539
                 -----------------------------------------                            ---------------------------------------
                     (State or other jurisdiction of                                             (I.R.S. Employer
                      incorporation or organization)                                           Identification No.)

                            3160 Porter Drive
                          Palo Alto, California                                                       94304
                 -----------------------------------------                            ---------------------------------------
                 (Address of Principal Executive Offices)                                           (Zip Code)

                                               1991 STOCK PLAN OF INCYTE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
                                               -----------------------------------------------
                                                          (Full title of the plan)

                             ROY A. WHITFIELD                                                        Copy to:
                  President and Chief Executive Officer                                       STANTON D. WONG, ESQ.
                          Incyte Genomics, Inc.                                           Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP
                            3160 Porter Drive                                                     P.O. Box 7880
                       Palo Alto, California 94304                                           San Francisco, CA 94120
                              (415) 855-0555                                                      (415) 983-1000
                 -----------------------------------------                            ---------------------------------------
                   (Name, address and telephone number,
                    including area code, of agent for
                                 service)

                                                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

               Title of                         Amount             Proposed Maximum            Proposed              Amount of
             Securities To                      To Be               Offering Price         Maximum Aggregate        Registration
             Be Registered                  Registered(1)            per Share(2)          Offering Price(2)            Fee
                                                                                                    
- ---------------------------------------- --------------------- ------------------------- ---------------------- --------------------


Common Stock, $.001 par value(3)           2,600,000 shares                $40.47            $105,222,000             $27,779
- ---------------------------------------- --------------------- ------------------------- ---------------------- --------------------


(1)      Calculated pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8.

(2)      Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee
         pursuant to Rule 457(h)(1), based upon the average of the high and low
         sales prices of the Company's Common Stock on the Nasdaq National
         Market on September 28, 2000.

(3)      Associated with the Common Stock are Series A Participating Preferred
         Stock Purchase Rights that will not be exercisable or evidenced
         separately from the Common Stock prior to the occurrence of certain
         events.

                                                 -----------------

         The Registration Statement shall become effective upon filing in
accordance with Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933.



INFORMATION REQUIRED PURSUANT TO GENERAL INSTRUCTION E TO FORM S-8 GENERAL INSTRUCTION E INFORMATION This Registration Statement is being filed for the purpose of increasing the number of securities of the same class as other securities for which a Registration Statement of the Registrant on Form S-8 relating to the same employee benefit plan is effective. Registrant's Form S-8 Registration Statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 20, 1999 (File No. 333-83291), September 9, 1998 (File No. 333-63069), July 16, 1997 (File No. 333-31413), October 4, 1996 (File No. 333-13449), June 20, 1995 (File No. 33-93666) and on March 10, 1994 (File No. 33-76344) are hereby incorporated by reference. Part II INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE The following documents previously filed by Registrant with the Commission are hereby incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement: (1) Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 0-27488) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999; (2) Registrant's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q (File No. 0-27488) for the quarters ended March 31, and June 30, 2000; (3) Registrant's Current Reports on Form 8-K dated February 1, February 17, February 22, February 24, March 24, July 25 and August 25, 2000 (File No. 0-27488); (4) The description of the Common Stock contained in Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed January 5, 1996 (File No. 0-27488); and (5) The description of the Series A Participating Preferred Stock Purchase Rights contained in Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 8-A Filed September 30, 1998 (File No. 0-27488). In addition, all documents subsequently filed by Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. EXHIBITS -------- Exhibit Number Exhibit ------ ------- 5.1 Opinion of Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP. 23.1 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors. 23.2 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Independent Accountants. 23.3 Consent of Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1). 99.1 2000 Amendment to the 1991 Stock Plan. - 1-

SIGNATURES ---------- Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8, and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Palo Alto, State of California, on October 2, 2000. INCYTE GENOMICS, INC. By /S/ ROY A. WHITFIELD ----------------------------------------- Roy A. Whitfield Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) POWER OF ATTORNEY ----------------- KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Roy A. Whitfield and John M. Vuko, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated: SIGNATURE TITLE DATE --------- ----- ---- /S/ ROY A. WHITFIELD - ---------------------------------------- Chief Executive Officer (Principal October 2, 2000 /S/ ROY A. WHITFIELD Executive Officer) and Director Roy A. Whitfield /S/ JOHN M. VUKO Chief Financial Officer (Principal October 2, 2000 - ---------------------------------------- Financial Officer) John M. Vuko /S/ TIMOTHY HENN Controller (Principal Accounting October 2, 2000 - ---------------------------------------- Officer) Timothy Henn /S/ JEFFREY J. COLLINSON Director October 2, 2000 - ---------------------------------------- Jeffrey J. Collinson - 2 -

SIGNATURE TITLE DATE --------- ----- ---- Chairman of the Board - ---------------------------------------- Randal W. Scott /S/ BARRY M. BLOOM Director October 2, 2000 - ---------------------------------------- Barry M. Bloom /S/ FREDERICK B. CRAVES Director October 2, 2000 - ---------------------------------------- Frederick B. Craves /S/ JON S. SAXE Director October 2, 2000 - ---------------------------------------- Jon S. Saxe - 3 -

INDEX TO EXHIBITS ----------------- Exhibit Number Exhibit ------ ------- 5.1 Opinion of Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP. 23.1 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors. 23.2 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Independent Accountants. 23.3 Consent of Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1). 99.1 2000 Amendment to the 1991 Stock Plan. - 4 -



                                                                     EXHIBIT 5.1
                                                                     -----------




                   [PILLSBURY MADISON & SUTRO LLP LETTERHEAD]

                                 October 2, 2000


Incyte Genomics, Inc.
3160 Porter Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94304


         Re:   Registration Statement on Form S-8


Ladies and Gentlemen:

         With reference to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 to be filed by
Incyte Genomics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), with the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
relating to 2,600,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock (the "Shares")
issuable pursuant to the Company's 1991 Stock Plan, as amended (the "Stock
Plan"), it is our opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized and, when
issued and sold in accordance with the Stock Plan, will be validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities and
Exchange Commission as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement.

                                Very truly yours,

                                /s/ PILLSBURY MADISON & SUTRO LLP



                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1
                                                                    ------------

               CONSENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP, INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (Form
S-8) pertaining to the 1991 Stock Plan of Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and in
the related prospectus of our report dated January 24, 2000 with respect to the
consolidated financial statements and schedule of Incyte Genomics, Inc.
(formerly Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) included in its Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.

                                                    ERNST & YOUNG LLP


Palo Alto, California
September 29, 2000




                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.2
                                                                    ------------


         CONSENT OF PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP, INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

         We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this
registration statement on Form S-8 of Incyte Genomics, Inc. of our report dated
January 17, 2000 relating to the financial statements of diaDexus LLC, which
appears in Incyte Genomics, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1999.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

San Jose, California
September 29, 2000



                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1
                                                                    ------------

                              2000 AMENDMENT TO THE
                              ---------------------

                                 1991 STOCK PLAN
                                 ---------------

                         OF INCYTE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
                         -------------------------------


         THIS AMENDMENT amends the 1991 Stock Plan of Incyte Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. (the "Company"), as last amended as of June 8, 1999 (the "Plan"). Unless
specifically otherwise defined, each term used herein shall have the meaning
assigned to such term in the Plan.

                              W I T N E S S E T H:

         WHEREAS, the Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best
interest of the Company to amend the Plan to increase the number of shares
authorized for issuance thereunder:

         NOW THEREFORE, the Plan is hereby amended as follows:

         1.  STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN.

         1.1 Section 5, paragraph (a) of the Plan shall be amended by deleting
the second sentence and replacing it with the following:

                  "The aggregate number of Shares which may be issued under the
         Plan (upon exercise of Options or other rights to acquire Shares) shall
         not exceed 8,700,000 Shares, subject to adjustment pursuant to Section
         9."

         2. DATE OF AMENDMENT. To record the adoption of this Amendment to the
Plan by the Board of Directors as of February 28, 2000 and the approval by the
stockholders of this Amendment on June 5, 2000, the Company has caused its
authorized officer to execute the same.

                                    INCYTE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.


                                    By         /S/ ROY A. WHITFIELD
                                      ------------------------------------------
                                                  Roy A. Whitfield

                                    As its      CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                                          --------------------------------------